


i'll make a god out of you if it kills me

by calculus



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Disney, Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Anachronistic, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Mild Language, casual ableist language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-29
Updated: 2013-04-29
Packaged: 2017-12-09 21:44:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/778315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calculus/pseuds/calculus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scott McCall is on a quest to prove his birthright as a god by becoming a 'true hero'. Sort of.</p><p>(or, wherein Scott is the most reluctant Hercules ever, Derek is most certainly not a damsel in distress, and Stiles is literally a horny bastard)</p>
            </blockquote>





	i'll make a god out of you if it kills me

**Author's Note:**

> also known as the (not-really-but-we'll-go-with-it-anyway) hercules!au
> 
> warnings for anachronistic language and non-graphic violence

Scott never wanted to be a god. He just wanted to help his mother out on their struggling farm, bring in some produce for the weekly market hub, and maybe marry the stunningly gorgeous merchant girl who sells really sharp blades next to his stall. Once he gets her name, anyway.

But, somehow, that's not what the gods have planned for him. No, they want him to go prove himself, go make a _name_ for himself, make his father--his real father, the actual god Zeus--proud so that he can take his rightful chair up in Olympus. Become a true hero, all that crock.

His mom took it all in stride, all things given, tells him that she'd always known he was destined for something great the day she found him on her doorstep, and gives him her blessing to go out into the world. Scott knows better, though, can see how tightly she holds herself back at the kitchen table, her stubborn lips pressed tightly and the shiny eyes blinking to keep tears at bay. Knows that she loves him so dearly, and if it had been any other god but _Zeus_ , she'd fight to keep him to the bitter end.

(He tells her she's being silly, that he'll only go as far as the forest boundaries of their village for "hero deeds" because he's not an idiot and he doesn't actually want to prove himself to another absentee parent like he's got something to offer. He tells her that she's always going to be his mother, and not even the gods will take that away from him.)

He gets a nice horse out of the deal, a winged beauty he faintly remembers playing with as a child named Isaac, and a satyr who he helped on the road with his sprained hoof who said he'd make a hero out of Scott in thanks. Stiles, he's called, short for something ridiculously long and complicated that even Stiles can't say it right when he's sober.

Stiles is a bit of a gift, if Scott's going to be honest. Scott's not really a popular fellow in his village, and his number of friends is contained to just one hand, but Stiles--Stiles looks at him with pride when he thinks Scott's not looking, looks like he can't believe he found someone like Scott--talks like Scott's already a hero, and Scott has never had a person look at him with such hero worship. But Stiles is funny and engaging, likes to talk to fill silence and spout out random facts about all the guys he's helped rise to fame and godhood and his assorted satyr and nymph acquaintances, and shares his olives with Scott because he doesn't like the taste of them.

Stiles easily becomes Scott's best friend, and if there's anything that Scott's grateful for because of this hero business, it's Stiles' companionship.

-

The forests surrounding Beacon Hills are larger than Scott had originally thought.

They meet Derek by one of the smaller rivers near the outskirts of the forest the day Stiles decides it'd be a great idea to go actively searching for monsters to fight. Never mind the fact that Scott only has a crappy belt knife and a wooden practice shield nicked from the village armory.

Derek Hale, who Scott faintly remembers to be from the old Hale family that settled in Beacon Hills for years, is apparently in a bit of a struggle with a massive centaur, and at once, Scott rushes out from the trees to give his help, leaving Stiles to scramble after him in protest.

"Hey, do you need help--" Stiles elbows him in the gut, face reminding him to use the traditional hero speak, and Scott sighs. "I mean, do you require aid, innocent traveller?"

Derek looks away from his vantage point over the centaur on one of the higher branches of a redwood tree to toss Scott a derisive sneer.

"Do I require-- do I look like I "require aid", kid?" he says, flapping a dismissive hand. "Go play hero somewhere else, let the grownups take care of this mess."

"Grown-- are you serious, man?" bristles Stiles from his position behind Scott, his goat horns near vibrating with indignation. "You're hiding away on a tree, how exactly are you taking care of anything?" He points at the centaur that's currently pawing at the tree trunk to cement his point. "Don't be a dick. Go, Scott, show him what you're made of. You got this, man."

Scott thinks Stiles is severely overestimating his capabilities, but he squares his shoulders, takes a deep breath, and charges at the monster with knife raised and shield out.

-

Scott has super-strength now. Good to know, because his knife and shield got thrown away within a minute of his jumping the centaur like flimsy tinder and all he had left were his hands. One quick terrified punch sent the centaur flying into the river and away with his tail behind his hindquarters.

After the few silent minutes after the centaur's hasty retreat where all three of them watched it run off, Derek effortlessly jumps down from the tree and Stiles immediately breaks into a round of enthusiastic praise.

"Holy shit, that's my boy, Scott! Did you see how scared that thing was when you sent it flying! That was awesome!" crows Stiles, hopping on his hooves with giddiness. It's rather catching because Scott already feels the uncontrollable lash of adrenaline give out to euphoria and his grin is as wide as Stiles'. It really _was_ awesome. "Dude, you got this hero thing down pat, what did I tell you!"

"Yeah, because all monsters are going to run screaming to their mommies after one hit," Derek says, rolling his eyes as he brushes off dirt from his tunic and legging. "Beginner's luck."

"Hey!" Scott and Stiles shout in unison. Scott scowls darkly at Derek, already more than ready to leave the guy.

"Usually when somebody saves you, you say thank you, dickhead, not insult them," says Stiles, heavily affronted. "You would've been stuck up that tree forever if Scott hadn't come in and saved the day. The least you could do is show a little gratitude."

Derek rolls his eyes again and opens his mouth wide enough so they could see unnervingly sharp canines emerge from his cavities. He holds up a clawed hand that was definitely not so viciously sharp a minute ago, as if to drive the point home.

"I think I could've handled it myself, thanks," he says through a mouthful of fangs. In a blink, both the fangs and the claws are gone, and Scott and Stiles stare at a normal-looking Derek again. Scott swallows and closes his unconsciously-dropped jaw. Well, that's definitely new.

Stiles finds his voice a minute later, clearing his throat when his first sounds are a little cracked. "So you're a werewolf, big deal. It's still polite to say thanks, man." His glib response is a bit unsteady though, and he edges a little closer to Scott's side.

Derek looks like he's eaten something foul.

"Fine. Thanks for your unnecessary help. Now go away and leave me alone," Derek says insincerely before turning and loping off back into the woods without so much as a by your leave.

"...Wow, what a _dick_."

Scott can only nod and hope that they'll never cross paths again.

-

Of course, they come across Derek again a week later. Because that's Scott's unbelievably good luck.

This time, Scott's the one in a bind, holding off a flock of harpies with a new sword that he bought off the gorgeous merchant girl earlier that week during market day. It's undeniably sharp, and he gets it half-price because apparently his laundry list of accomplishments is starting to get around and she actually smiles at him while handing over the blade. He still hasn't asked for her name yet, or how many children she'd like to have with him. Baby steps, baby steps.

Anyway, he's a little caught up with the whole wings flapping and sharp talons thrusted into his face and the ear-splitting loud screeches, but he notices Derek out of the corner of his eye while he's slashing at one of the harpies, coming out of the shadowed forest to stand beside Stiles, who's watching over Scott with excessively snarky commentary.

"Get the one on the left, Scott, the left, over there--not your left, my left! Uh, your right--there! ...Oooh, that's okay, we can bandage that, you're doing fine, Scott, you can--HOLY GODS," shrieks Stiles when he takes notice of the dark shadow hovering over him. Scott almost loses an arm, distracted by Stiles' cry.

"Stiles? Tell me what's going on, you alright?" he calls out, hacking away at a wing flapping in his face while dodging the leg swipe from the monster above him.

"No! No, I'm fine, just Mr. Assface scaring the shit out of me," Stiles calls back. Scott turns his head quickly to catch a glimpse of Stiles scowling angrily at a bored-looking Derek before turning back just in time to raise his sword up to block the full-bodied attack of a particularly ugly harpy. He puts them out of mind, deeming Stiles to be safe with Derek's company for the time being, so that he can pay his full attention to the fight at hand.

"Duck now, genius!" Derek yells, and Scott's almost thrown off his whole rhythm by the surprise. Still, he ducks and just in time to feel and hear the air whistling past his ears as viciously sharp talons swipe by.

"Hey, hey, back off, Scott's _my_ hero, not yours! Get your own to trai--watch out for the black one on your left, Scott!"

"Yeah, you're doing _such_ a good job; sword up, Scott, your right flank is open!"

"Back off, stop telling my hero what to do, you ass! Scott, heads up, above you!"

"Scott, the brown one's gunning for your throat, don't just push her away, you have to _kill_ her!"

"Hey, Scott can do whatever the fuck he wants--okay, no, Scott, really, you gotta kill them, not bat them away like flies!"

"Oh for the love of Hestia, shut the fuck up, you guys, you're distracting me!" Scott bellows, fed up and still being clawed at. There's a chastised silence then, and he quickly deals with the remaining harpies without further 'help'.

Once the last harpy is slain--and Stiles mutters unhelpfully under his breath, "Caw, caw, motherfucker,"--Scott wipes off the blood on his blade on the grassy grounds and makes his way to where Stiles and Derek were comfortably out of the battlefield. Stiles greets him with his usual slew of praise, but shoots Derek dark looks every few seconds.

"What do you want, Derek," Scott demands, too exhausted to ask politely.

Derek looks put-off, which Scott thinks is rich since no one even invited him.The man shuffles a bit, the motion out of place with his overall appearance, dark and forbidding, reminiscent of a child about to ask their parents for a toy.

"I need your help," he spits out, petulant and looking like he wants to be anywhere but here. Scott can't agree more.

"Why should I help you? I offered once, and you basically spit in my face," he retorts, annoyance and irritation welling up, ruining his post-battle high. Stiles nods emphatically in agreement.

"Yeah, why should we help a turdface like you?" he asks snottily, and shies behind Scott when Derek snaps at him with his fangs out.

"Shut up, no one asked you, goatboy," Derek replies testily, and Stiles makes an indignant noise.

"Goatboy! _Goatboy!_ Why, I oughta--" Scott hurriedly holds Stiles back from making a reckless charge at Derek, horns tilted for maximum damage. Derek sneers, crossing his arms.

"What are you going to do, sing me to death?"

" _Oh my Silenus_ , Scott, let me go, I'm gonna kill this little puppy right the fuck now," snarls Stiles, rearing and stomping his hooves, shoving against Scott's steady grip.

"Derek, Stiles, guys, seriously, can you guys stop!" shouts Scott, tossing Derek a glare while tightening his hold on Stiles. Stiles thrashes a little more, and Scott shakes him, making use of his newfound strength. "Stiles!"

Stiles growls but subsides, scowling profusely at a smug-looking Derek. He breaks out of Scott's hold, which had been loosened once Scott gauges Stiles to be calm enough, and huffs, smoothing down the bristly hair on his legs.

"Whatever. I'm going back to Isaac where there aren't any douchebags around," he says, emphasizing 'douchebags' and looking directly at Derek. He claps a hand on Scott's shoulder, sticks his tongue out at Derek, and trots off to where they'd tied Isaac behind at their campsite.

"You have one minute, Derek, to tell me what you want because I'm seriously so done with you right now," Scott threatens immediately once Stiles is gone from sight. Derek sighs, actually relaxes from the uptight position he's been in since Stiles insulted him, and looks weary enough that Scott can almost feel sympathetic. Almost.

"I need your help," he says again.

-

Scott is only a few meters away from their campsite when Stiles catches sight of him and starts talking.

"Man, who does that upstart werewolf even think he is? I mean, just because he's got a pretty face and some nice glutes doesn't mean he can just say whatever he wants, am I right? Where does he get off demanding your help like that! And calling me names, how childish is he--isn't he a grown man or something!" squawks Stiles, practically steaming with pent-up anger. He's brushing Isaac's hair down too, and the rage makes him extra rough on Isaac, to which the horse retaliates with a well-placed nip on his tail. Yelping, Stiles throws the brush down to grope at his tail and throws Isaac a betrayed frown.

Scott sighs because he really doesn't want Derek's company anymore than Stiles does, but.

"We're going to be traveling with Derek for a while, Stiles."

The explosion is...not unexpected.

" _What!_ Are you serious, Scott, what in Hades are you even thinking, why would you _even_ \--Did he threaten you, did he say he was going to do something to your mother if you didn't help him because I can take him, Scott, I mean, I look weak, but I am surprisingly strong--just, what the fuck, man, why are we even helping this guy out?"

"...His sister's been taken. She's all he's got left," Scott says, and Stiles shuts up.

-

Travel with Derek is...unpleasant. Like pulling already set-in teeth or willingly letting one's hand get crushed by a cart wheeling by.

Monsters seem to lock in on them with Derek around, and Scott sees more action that he's had with just Stiles. It also doesn't help that while Derek's not busy brooding about his missing sibling, he's tossing snarky comments at Scott from the sidelines while trying to one-up Stiles. Stiles, as expected, looks like he doesn't know whether to kick Derek into the way of a timely manticore bite or kill him himself while trying to give Scott advice.

Scott just really wants them to shut up and let him fight in peace.

Still, his adventures do not escape the notice of his fellow Beacon Hill villagers or the cities of Greece. With every win he holds under his belt, Scott's name comes faster and faster to the lips of the people. Even the merchant girl knows his name now, and that particular day when she greeted him at the market almost had Scott braining himself onto Finstock's stable fences.

He helps people, too, more and more; there are many plagued by monsters and Scott is pressed to go further and further beyond the forests he had originally promised his mother to stay in, but she only smiles, tells him to do good. And he does, he does so much good: he saves a girl from being raped by a salacious centaur; rescues a small family from a lamia hell-bent on their children; deals with one of the gorgon sisters, the particularly screechy one; and takes down a feral minotaur.

It all comes to head the day he defeats the hydra.

-

Derek asks them to go to Thebes, citing rumors of a werewolf maiden who's been terrorizing the citizens. He looks upset, drawn, and it's Stiles who surprisingly comforts him, pulls him into a hug while Scott takes down their campsite and readies Isaac for flight. The way over is barely quiet, punctuated by Stiles' attempts to draw Derek into a conversation (or a fight, whichever works) and out of his thoughts.

Scott flies past a gorge and the sudden screams he hears echoing from the valley are what makes him steer Isaac down, mindless of the protests coming from Stiles. Upon landing, he finds two small children hiding behind a particularly large boulder, and he runs up to them, barely down from his dismount, ready to help.

They turn to him with startlingly satisfied smirks on their faces before they disappear in a puff of umber smoke at the same time a truly horrific collection of inhuman screeches and roars sound throughout the gorge.

"By the gods above, Scott!" curses Stiles. "Look!"

It's a fucking hydra.

And it's _angry_.

Scott pulls out his sword and raises his arm out to catch the bronze shield that Stiles tosses over to him, keeping his eyes steadily on the rapidly approaching seven-headed beast.

This one is going to be a doozy.

-

The battle is fierce.

Scott has to fend off six other heads while enduring the jaw snaps of the seventh, and every head he cuts off grows backs another almost instantaneously. He is bruised, bloodied, and getting tired because the thing just won't _die_.

Stiles and Derek are mercifully silent, only yelling out when it seems to be getting close and Scott can't see fast enough. But he's so tired, his grip slackening on his shield, wet and slippery already with his and the hydra's blood. He's losing hope.

Then, the landslide occurs.

-

He's hailed as a hero for the defeat of the mighty hydra.

Thebes holds a week-long celebration in his honor, complete with Scott-shaped toys for the children and Scott-faced foods to feast on. Zeus actually comes down from Olympus to talk to him personally, tell him that he's finally proven himself worthy of godhood. Stiles looks ecstatic, Derek grudgingly impressed, and Scott is just _done_.

"No," he says, cutting Zeus off mid-sentence about how he'll sup on the finest ambrosia Olympus has to offer. Everyone looks at him as he's lost his mind, and Scott shakes his head. "No, I decline."

"You--"

"YOU DECL--"

"Are you an idiot--"

"I decline," Scott says firmly.

Zeus looks properly thunderous, befitting his title. "And may I ask as to why you decline your birthright?"

Scott shrugs. "I'm not a hero. The landslide killed that hydra, not me. I don't even deserve this whole festival going on."

Stiles is flabbergasted. "Are you _insane_ , Scott, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!"

"And what of your other accomplishments, my dear boy, all the other monsters you've slain?" asks Zeus, eyes narrowing. Scott makes a face (and faintly hears Derek say, "He's sassing a fucking god, I've seen it all now,") and shrugs again.

"I helped people in need, like any good person with my kind of gift should. I don't need anymore than that."

"But surely you wish for some reward for your good deeds," presses the king of gods. Scott thinks for a minute and nods, eliciting a satisfied expression from Zeus. "Yes, of course--"

"I want to go home and help my mom farm. I want to help people for as long as I can. ...And maybe get her name finally," Scott says, mumbling the last part to himself. "Thank you, sir, but I'm satisfied with my life as it is."

And that's that.

-

Scott flies home the day after, Stiles and Derek staying in Thebes for another week to actually search for Derek's sister. Stiles looked a little shifty, begging off the ride back for a little while, sneaking glances at a silent Derek, and Scott can only wish his friend the best of luck and leaves with the promise to return within the week for them.

Isaac flies smoothly, and Scott is almost about to fall asleep, trusting his horse to bring him home, when he hears the screaming coming up from his village. He urges Isaac down quickly, dismounts and ties him to a low-branched tree, and runs into the clearing leading to Beacon Hills, sword out at the ready for any possible threat.

There's a cyclops running rampage, roaring loudly as he stomps heavily over the homes of Scott's neighbors and fellow villagers, grasping for the slower runners clumsily.

Scott takes one look and readies himself to charge into the fray and take down the beast when a series of arrows sing through the air and land straight in the cyclops' only eye, all clustered deep and heavy in the center of his cornea. There's a loud scream from the beast, and more arrows come flying down on it until it collapses, buried under a slew of arrowheads.

"What in the world," Scott murmurs in wonder, sword held lightly in his hand. There's a sudden _whoosh_ , and a blurred figure jumps down beside him, startling him enough to bring his sword back up, nearly beheading the person in his surprise.

"Holy--"

"Nice of you to come home, very timely. Sorry to steal your kill, though. I don't like to wait," says the person, unwinding the giant bow in her hand, and _it's the merchant girl from the market._

"Y-you...." Scott trails off, too amazed to think of what to say. The girl smiles, bright and mischievous, and claps him on the shoulder heartily.

"Welcome home, Scott," she says, and Scott is in _love_.

"...Marry me," he blurts out and then thinks his words through. "Wait! I mean, I didn't--I mean, I don't even know your name, what am I saying--"

"My name's Allison," the girl says slowly, smile growing wider, "why don’t we start from there?"

**Author's Note:**

> i bugged maddy into beta-ing this for me after having written this fic like three months ago and letting it sit in my gdocs until i got sick and tired of seeing it. thank you so much for putting up with my nagging ;~; ♥♥♥♥
> 
> basically, i couldn't stop seeing derek singing 'i won't say i'm love' and i thought, let's write it away except then it turned out more scott-centric than expected, but i'm a bit chuffed though at how things turned out. it's not quite as epically long as i could've done (and i'd love to see a full-on hercules fusion au someday from other writers), but i was like literally tearing my hair out bc i'd only intended for this fic to be like less than 1k. sigh.
> 
> (i have a bit written with the continuation of the adventures of stiles and derek in thebes which hopefully will actually feature derek's emotional turmoil and winning musical number, but that'll come at least after this semester ends and i'm finally free for the summer. ~~in the mean time, i encourage you to write your own version so i can have it in my hands and cry about it????~~ )
> 
> ok i'll go study now
> 
> eta; also i can never escape the g-rating can i


End file.
